Watch Out for Those Elevation Changes!
Over the past month, our deputation journey has taken us from coast to coast. We’ve experienced all four time zones, mountains, deserts, extreme heat, forests, and more climates than I can count. Honestly, it’s a little tough on the body, but the thing that’s been the most difficult to adjust to is the ever-changing elevation.
Since we’ve been out west, we’ve driven from sea-level to over 8,500-feet above sea level and back again. We’ve been up and down and up and down and up and down. The tricky part is we’re not staying in any one place long enough for our bodies to adjust before making yet another change in elevation. And some days those changes in elevation are thousands of feet in just a few hours.
These drastic elevation changes affect the body in many ways. They can cause headaches, nausea, vertigo, loss of appetite, changes in blood pressure, nosebleeds, fatigue, confusion, and much more. Yes, these changes affect the body, mind, and mood. They can even trigger stress because the body actually releases stress hormones in an attempt to “fight off” the symptoms of elevation change. No wonder I’ve felt so out of sorts over the past couple of weeks!
This morning, I realized how much our spiritual journey has in common with my current physical journey, for it, too, has elevation changes. One day, we may be walking on Cloud Nine. All is right with the world. Things are going well. Our health is good. There’s money in the bank. Our job is secure. Our family is happy. Yes, all is as it should be. But then, something happens, and everything comes crashing down. We get a phone call that sends us reeling. Or maybe we’re betrayed by a friend. Or perhaps we’re blown away by something we never saw coming. Whatever the case, Cloud Nine becomes a memory, and our spiritual elevation plummets.
Along the way, we begin to notice the effects of the elevation change. Our bodies bend under the weight of the burden. Our heads throb as we try to make sense of what has happened. Our blood pressure rises as we stress over what to do next and how to “fix” all that has fallen apart. Our minds are filled with questions that seem to have no answers, and our moods darken more and more as we sink into a pit of hopelessness and despair. We’re confused, sick, and overwhelmed. And from our low viewpoint, it seems we’ll never see the mountain top again.
I can’t help but think of David as he poured out his heart time and time again in the book of Psalms. If anyone knew the effects of spiritual elevation change, it was David. He understood what it was like to be praising God with his whole heart one minute and asking God why He had forsaken him in the next. He knew what it was like to wrestle with hopelessness and helplessness. He tasted defeat, discouragement, and depression. He was familiar with the mountains but even more so with the valleys.
As I studied about the effects of elevation change, I came across numerous sites offering advice on how to treat these issues. For the most part, their counsel was to stop moving around so much and be still. Give you body time to adjust, and if the body doesn’t adjust, return to your former elevation as soon as possible.
Well, let’s be honest. Life isn’t that simple. We can’t simply say, “I don’t like this situation, so I’m just going to walk away from it and go back to the way things were.” It doesn’t work that way. Often, changing our current elevation is not an option as circumstances are typically beyond our control. However, there is a part of the advice we can heed, and that is to be still. Stop trying to figure it all out. Stop trying to make it all work. Stop trying to determine the why’s, how’s, and where’s. Just be still. David understood this as well.
“Stand in awe, and sin not: commune with your own heart upon your bed, and be still. Selah.”
We may not be able to change our circumstances, but we can change how we respond. We can trust that God has a plan and that He will work all things for our good. We can be still, resting in His love, goodness, and faithfulness. We can stand in awe of who He is. And we can commune with our own heart, assuring it that there’s no reason to fear. Yes, we may be facing tribulation, but God has already overcome the world (John 16:33). No mountain is too high for Him to conquer, and no valley is low for Him to reach. He’s got this. Be still, my friend. Be still!
“Be still, and know that I am God: I will be exalted among the heathen, I will be exalted in the earth.”